Types of Online Casinos

Types of Casino – Web-based

Web-based casinos are online websites which have built in games. There is no need to download software or add any program to you computer. You are free to play through the online format itself. Most web-based casinos use Java, Macromedia Flash or Shockwave players to host the games live. Most computers already have these programs installed as they are used for live feeds or video playback in other websites.

As a result, no matter how good of a video card you have, this way of playing high quality games uses up tremendous bandwidth. This has an effect on the outcome of the games. They are less reliable, more pauses or faults occur and it's generally just not as impressive or dependable as the downloadable software version.

There are only a handful of casinos offer their main casino in a web browser. They are generally flawed, especially if you were to play a tournament with many other players at the same time. As a rule of thumb, the larger, more recognizable casinos tend to favour downloading their small but effective software files. Usually, they are more secure, the games are more stable and generally better quality.

Types of Casino – Download Based

Download based casinos are generally speaking the favoured by players, the casino themselves and industry watchdogs. Players are usually required to sign up and register their details first, then they can follow simple instructions how to download the software. The files have been smaller and smaller to encompass higher quality graphics, yet only take the minimum amount of time to install. Great care is taken to abolish any viruses or spyware, but many players can still be sceptical and favour the web-based casinos instead.

Although the software is quicker and more reliable than web based casinos, the real benefit is the casino can update and upgrade as soon as you connect to the internet. This will add in new games, features and bonuses as quickly as they are released. Casinos prefer players to have the software downloaded as it makes it more permanent and is an easy access point after the initial download.

Of course, if players are wary or prefer not to download anything to their computer, casinos offer a web based version which runs without any installation. They are usually treated as a sampler to the software, but you can still play for real money, in tournaments and progressive games. They are also now available to players with WAP enabled mobile phones. This allows players to have an application which can allow games to played when they are on the move. It may not be as popular yet but time will tell.